I do not know much about the ASF rats, but i do have a few questions.


If you switch your ball python from normal rats to ASF rats, and then later down the road want to switch the balls back to normal rats, Is there any known problems regarding that?


Will the balls refuse normal rats after being on ASF Rats? Comparing this to balls that are on gerbils and how difficult it can be to switch them to rats.


also what is it about the ASF's that Ball pythons love so much?


I noticed that most ASF rats have a mid body coloration with the rest of the rodent being white. Not all, but most i have seen pics of.


I have no problems with my balls taking normal rats. I guess i ask these questions, with the idea of, when some balls stop eating as much at certain gram weights in their life spand, would it be smart at that point to offer ASF rats?

And is there anyone in Indiana near Fort Wayne that breeds ASF rats? As i wouldn't mind breeding them to sell to a local pet store that my friend owns....he sells Tons of rats from his store. So much so, that he has 3 freedom breeder racks full of breeder rats.

thank you for reading this post :wamma:

ASF are the natural food source of balls in africa. Mine have been fed both for a while and most have no issue taking either. Some will only take asf and have never taken a "normal rat" ever.

The one drawback to the ASFs, is that they do not grow as fast at the regular rats. So you would need quite a few breeders to produce enough, even for a modestly sized collection.

We have one female that started to refuse regular rats, would only take the occasional mouse as a substitute and a male that would not eat anything; but they have been pounding ASFs since we started offering them. We haven't tried to switch them back yet, but will eventually try. For us the ASFs are a back up, should any of our snakes go off of regular rats for an extended period of time. For us, it's just easier because we produce more than enough of the regular rats to feed out collection.

I they are worth it they get ASFs,that is if I need them to breeding size

I'm no pro and have not been at this for long, but I started feeding one female on ASF that was not eating well on rats, and really came to regret it, as she refused anything else that came her way after about five consecutive ASF meals. ASF are a pain in the ass to raise because they mature SO slowly, and it seems like the babies stay as juvies for a long time. I personally would never feed them again.

I have one snake that only eats mice and asfs, I would rather feed her asfs as asfs get bigger and are way denser/heavier at the same size as mice. I got her as a baby who was fed exclusively mice before I got her.
All of my other snakes will eat anything anytime no questions asked, even when fed asfs for a prolonged time or mice or rats for prolonged times. I dont choose my snakes based on feeding response, which makes me think in my limited experience that this issue of balls imprinting on food sources is rare at best.
In general they can be picky, I have learned not to get upset if and when they go 2 months without eating. If you prefer your balls to stick with one food source, then from my experience you have to sooner or later let them go without food.

One little trick I done in when I had ASF was to allow there bedding to get very soiled and then I saved it in a bucket. What I done then was take my regular rats and put them in the bucket to be scented for feeding for Bps that became picky.....It works!!!

Steve
Thats a good idea. I have a few females here that I cant seem to get on regular rats and ASFs are not always easy to come by. Maybe this would work to switch them over. Definitely going to give it a try.
I will say that I had a few extra ASFs here one time and fed a few off to different snakes and they became hooked after one meal. Only have been able toconvert one back to regular rats. Wont do that again!

if you have balls that are taking rats with no problems....i would leave those alone.

if you have balls that are giving you a bit trouble in regards to eating.....i would scent rats (size depending) with some ASF's for a day or so to pick up the scent....they should take it.....and after time....shorten the amount of time you leave the rat in with the ASF's.

some balls are just picking and want to eat what they want to eat......give them what they want and they will be happy.....which will make you happy!

one thing to keep in mind is that ASF's/Multi's grow slow as hell and are mean as hell!!! do not leave your hand in there for more than you actually need to when pulling them out of the tub......if one doesn't get you another will....and you'll be dripping blood from their tiny bite. they are however good breeders and take good care of their young.....their babies are really small (just a bit bigger than a mouse pinky only with hair) also some states have them outlawed to protect the enviroment/ecosystem.

if you don't have to mess with them....don't bother and just stick with rats.


Pitoon

I have never had any issues on snakes going from ASF's back to regular rats. I think if a BP eats regular rats well they will continue to eat regular rats well even if you do switch to ASF's for a while. BP's that are tough feeders on rats will usually continue to be tough feeders if you try to switch back from ASF's to rats. I think a lot of people get hung up on the "imprinting" thing, but I don't really think there is anything to it. I think the perception comes because usually ASF's are feed to tough feeders to start with. When people see their snakes taking soft furs every time but then refusing a domestic rat they say they are stuck on soft furs when in reality they were never good feeders on domestic rats from the start.

I have been breeding the soft furs since back when a trio cost $100. From what I have seen the only thing that works better on picky feeders is Gerbils but gerbils are pretty tough to produce in large enough quantities.

do not leave your hand in there for more than you actually need to when pulling them out of the tub......if one doesn't get you another will....and you'll be dripping blood from their tiny bite.
Pitoon


Do we have a like button or an agree picture thingy?

Asf's are great. Here's what I do. If a ball python stops eating for 2 weeks in a row, I offer it asf or mouse or rat, whatever it is not usually eating.

Try this, feed them what they want.

I have both ASFs and rats and all 27 of my snakes minus one Enchi female will eat both when offered. I've tried a few different tricks to get her to take rats but no luck. I've had some awesome growth on ASFs and I will continue to feed both as my supply from the breeders varys.

I think mice are ten times worse then asf. Balls imprint on mice just as easy as as.I have bounced problem feeders back in forth between asf and rats and have had good results with good consistant feedings with my animals. Plus I believe that you get more weight gain from feeding asf vs mice or rats.

Here is something strange. You give snake shed to rats and they leave it alone.
You give snake shed to ASF and they go freakin crazy and fight each other for it.
Not sure if everyone has had this experience. But that is what they do in my colonies.

Here is something strange. You give snake shed to rats and they leave it alone.
You give snake shed to ASF and they go freakin crazy and fight each other for it.
Not sure if everyone has had this experience. But that is what they do in my colonies.

i'll try that next shed......i know they go crazy for grubs and mealworms.....i mean actually fight each other for it.

Pitoon

I've started hatchling balls on ASFs for their first meal [ since hopper ASFs tend to move around more then rat pups ] & have had, mostly, no problem switching back over to rats for their 2nd meal. However, once I get them on rat pups, the ASFs stay FAR away.

I did have one neonate female that I bought who was a picky eater & would pound ASFs but shy away from Rat Pups. I let her bulk up on ASFs, had her skip a feeding, & the next week offered a rat pup...now she pounds rat pups! :)

But really, if you can feed rats, & they'll eat rats...I would save the ASFs for problem feeders.

One thing to consider is that not everyone has access to ASFs, so when it comes to sell a ball that only takes ASFs, it might be harder to find a buyer. Food for thought... ~

Thank you all very much for the info on the ASF's......I was asking in general, as of now i have no feeding problems. I just wanted to know what made the Balls want these types of rodents so much.

Karl